Kerala on Thursday announced a two-day mourning to mark the demise of great football star Diego Maradona, an unusual tribute to a sporting icon by a tiny state thousands of miles away from his birthland.
Maradona visited Kerala in 2012 and celebrated his 52nd birthday in north Kerala’s Kannur. He cut a 25-kilogram football-shaped cake, sang and danced and kicked many footballs to galleries for the fans. The hotel room where he was staying in was later converted into a museum. The craze of his arrival was such that fans had started pouring in the stadium two days before the Maradona event in 2012.
In north Kerala, the soccer-crazy fans took to the grounds in his favourite jersey No 10 and some of them broke down while talking about him. They organised mini-matches and gatherings while adhering to the pandemic regulations.
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“The magical player has a big place in the heart of football lovers of the state. Wherever soccer world cup takes place, football lovers put up many of his billboards and cut-outs in the state. We all will miss him, the beautiful game will miss him,” chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said. Call it left-leaning or not, three Latin American icons Che Guevara, Fidel Castro and Diego Maradona enjoy a special place in the hearts of people in Kerala.
{{/usCountry}}“The magical player has a big place in the heart of football lovers of the state. Wherever soccer world cup takes place, football lovers put up many of his billboards and cut-outs in the state. We all will miss him, the beautiful game will miss him,” chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said. Call it left-leaning or not, three Latin American icons Che Guevara, Fidel Castro and Diego Maradona enjoy a special place in the hearts of people in Kerala.
{{/usCountry}}“He was the most honest person I have ever met. He was my inspiration and I have lost a good friend,” said chairman of the Chemmanur group Bobby Chemmanur who brought the player to the state as a brand ambassador of his jewellery and diamond firm in 2012. He said he will install a befitting memorial, possibly a bust covered in gold, as a tribute, he told a news channel.
State sports minister EP Jayarajan also said the government will set up a memorial for him. “In Kerala, his ardent fans still fail to believe he is no more,” said the minister.
“Football has lost its god,” said Subair Nainamvalappu, president of Nainamvalappu Football Fans Association. A coastal hamlet in Kozhikkode, Nainamvalappu, is known for its soccer craze and FIFA sends its miniatures and itinerary directly to the village.